We usually turn to rice when confronted with wheat allergy, or the need to stay away from gluten. Rice flour is the base of most cake, cookie, bread and all purpose gluten free flour mixes. But rice does not provide great nutrition and cakes can be quite crumbly, especially when made egg free. I have combined some amazingly nutritious gluten free flours—Amaranth, Sorghum, Quinoa, and Oats with a starch for binding, to produce fantastic cakes, cookies, pie crusts, Indian rotis and just about anything that wheat flour can make. These flours are available in most specialty food stores and are becoming increasingly available in mainstream stores in the US. You can also find Amaranth, the Indian ‘Rajgira’, and Sorghum (‘Jowar” in India) in all Indian stores.

I stay away from soy, as it is an established allergenic food. However, if soy is not an allergy issue, use 1/2 cup soy flour in place of quinoa flour, which may not be available in all places. Quinoa is protein rich and soy is a good substitute But, if soy is a problem food, and there is no quinoa, make the flour mix without quinoa/soy. Add 1 1/3 teaspoon xanthan/guar gum. If the gums are not easy to obtain, you could omit them. They add that extra bit of stickiness, and give a slightly better ‘stretch’ quality to the dough. Increase the quantity of oat flour by 1/2 cup and and also add 1/2 cup more of corn starch (cornflour). This will enhance the binding quality of dough, prevent crumbling of baked goods., and will help in rolling out chapatis etc. more efficiently

Fact Files on the Ingredients

Amaranth

This is an excellent source of protein, and is high in certain amino acids which are usually found only in animal foods.It is loaded with iron (a 100 g serving gives 50% of daily requirement based on a 2000 cal. diet). It is also a good source of calcium, vitamins, minerals and fiber.. Actually, amaranth is not a grain, but is the seed of a plant that is grown for its nutritious leaves as well. Toasted amaranth seeds can be eaten as breakfast cereal. The name ‘amaranth’ itself comes from the Latin root word, ‘amar’, as also the similar Sanskrit word, which means ‘immortal’.

Sorghum

This is among the oldest known grains and is also rich in protein, iron, calcium and potassium. Since it metabolizes slowly, it is possibly beneficial to diabetics as well. It is a good addition in any baking mix, as it does not have an intrusive flavor or color. It has been a staple food in Africa and India for centuries.

Quinoa

This is often described by nutritionists as the ‘super grain’. The National Academy of Science describes quinoa as ‘the most nearly perfect source of protein from the vegetable kingdom’. Ancient Incas called it the ‘mother grain.’ It has nine essential amino acids, has more calcium than milk, is high in iron, minerals, micronutrients, Vitamin E and some of the B group vitamins.

Oats

Oats are actually gluten free, but there is some chance of cross contamination as they are sometimes grown in proximity to, or in rotation with wheat. Cross contamination can occur during the milling and transportation process as well. If gluten free oats are available, go ahead as they have a good binding quality, are high in fiber , and contain some amount of iron and protein.

Others

Xanthan gum and other gums such as guar gum and locust bean gum are gluten free and help to give gluten free flour a spongy, elastic texture that gluten containing flours usually provide.

Corn-starch is not only a thickener to be used in soups and sauces, but also has a great binding quality. other starches such as tapioca starch, potato starch or arrowroot flour may also be used in place of corn starch.